


The Heir of Slytherin

by Yatorihell



Series: In The Darkness [19]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, ノラガミ | Noragami
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-16 04:45:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12335754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yatorihell/pseuds/Yatorihell
Summary: With tensions rising, Yato looks for a way to diffuse the stress.Thank you Maddie (bishoujohiyo.tumblr) for beta-ing me <3





	The Heir of Slytherin

The incident did not deter the school from continuing as normal; it was what they needed right now. Classes continued, yet there were precautions put in place; walk as a group to class, obey the strict curfews, and absolutely, under no circumstance, any wandering.

Defence Against the Dark Arts was dull as usual. Second years learnt how to disarm and duel, until someone – presumably as a poorly-timed joke – summoned a snake. The room went into a panic until the professor calmed them by banishing the snake and dismissing class. The vanishing spell came too late: both Hiyori and Yukine saw the serpent. Hiyori tensed up with a sharp intake of breath and Yukine’s face paled, looking like he would be sick even when the snake vanished.

They had heard rumours that the creature was some sort of serpent from Slytherin house members, as the Heir of Slytherin must have some sort of power of the beast. Something Hiyori had heard being called ‘parseltongue.’ These were unfounded rumours, but it was enough to put people on edge.

They were carried out of the room by the crowd of students following the new rule dictating the entire class stick together. Yukine walked beside Hiyori, head bowed and silent as thoughts of Suzuha haunted his mind, the snake triggering memories of that night.

Though the anxious voices of students mingled together, Hiyori’s ears pricked up at the snatches of conversation from two students ahead of her. Eavesdropping wasn’t her thing, but the topic of their gossip quickly caught her attention.

“Did you hear? They found the Heir!” A girl – a Gryffindor judging by the peak of scarlet in the folds of her hooded robes – said.

“No way! Who is it?” her friend, another Gryffindor, asked tightly.

“That Yato guy. He’s a Slytherin, so it makes sense that he’s probably a parselmouth. He’s always skipping class too, that explains why the monster has been released.”

Their talk lowered as they conspired about the other ‘evil wizards’ who were ‘parselmouths’, no doubt painting Yato as a villain.

Now that she had heard the rumours, Hiyori noticed passing students throwing dirty looks in Yato’s direction when she and Yukine greeted him in the Great Hall for lunch. The unsavoury rumour was spreading, yet Yato seemed oblivious. Instead, his attention was on their drawn faces.

“You two look awful,” Hiyori’s slumped posture and Yukine’s drained face greeted Yato when they sat down opposite him. Yukine, clutching a black notebook which he shoved into his bag, dragged a hand over his eyes with a terse grunt.

“Thanks,” Hiyori muttered, glancing around at the slowly filling hall. More looks were thrown their way, necks craning and conversations muted as they huddled to whisper out of earshot.

“Have you… heard anything?” Hiyori asked, keeping her voice low when she noticed people at the neighbouring table turning to sneak glimpses of the would-be Heir of Slytherin.

“Well, I saw Kugaha walking down to –,” Yato dived into his speculation before Hiyori cut him off.

“Not that,” she said, “like… other stuff.”

Yato frowned at her. “Like what?”

“There’s rumours that you’re… the ‘Heir’,” Hiyori said shiftily. Yato’s eyes flicked from Hiyori to a group of students he had just noticed eyeing him warily. They averted their gaze.

“Heir?” Yato looked surprised, “the nut-job who opened the Chamber of Secrets?”

Hiyori nodded.

“Oh, come on!” Yato said loudly, “as if!”

“You can’t blame people for speculating,” Yukine interjected. Yato looked at him in surprise; he’d been so withdrawn that it felt as if Yukine wasn’t there. “If you’re really a parselmouth, and you’re a Slytherin, then why would people not think that?”

“Who the hell said I’m a parselmouth?” Yato seethed.

“What’s a parselmouth?” Hiyori asked.

“Someone who speaks the language of snakes,” Yukine yawned, “so they could be able to control the thing in the Chamber of Secrets.”

“I’m not the Heir of Slytherin!” Yato proclaimed again in annoyance, earning a few indiscreet glances from the surrounding diners.

“Well if you were then I’d like you to tell the snake to fuck off,” Yukine grumbled, resting his head on his folded arms on the desk.

Yato gave him a sympathetic look which he didn’t see. _He really looks ill…_

“Someone summoned a snake in class,” Hiyori explained, watching Yato’s clouded expression dissipate with a light-hearted jibe.

“Well that one’s not gunna kill you,” Yato replied matter-of-factly.

Hiyori gave him a horrified look, which he shrugged at. “What? Don’t like snakes either?”

“Not particularly,” she said defensively. It was a common fear, but Yato raised his eyebrows fractionally, recalling how fearless she seemed when she protested walking in pairs as a precaution.

“Snakes, mice, you’re just scared of everything, aren’t ya?” Yato teased lightly. Hiyori huffed. His grin slanted at her reaction and a deceitful thought crossed his mind. It wouldn’t hurt her, but it could help her.

“Meet me in the Defence Against the Darks Arts class after school,” Yato said, “I want to show you something.”

 

~

 

Hiyori found herself meeting Yato after class, breaking the ‘no-walking-alone rule to do so. He was waiting for her in the room and turned his head when he heard the creak of the door hinges.

“What did you want to show me?” she paced to the centre of the room and stood beside him, looking around the empty room, previously cleared for duelling practice.

In answer, Yato pulled his wand from his pocket.

“ _Sly Slytherin_ ,”

It didn’t sound like any spells Hiyori knew. The moment Yato swung his wand down a coil erupted from its tip and thumped onto the floor. Hiyori stepped closer until she was ahead of Yato, curious to see what he had conjured - until the coil moved. It uncurled with a shifting of its elongated body until it rose up, looking around before pinpointing on Hiyori’s terrified face and Yato’s cool stare.

A python.

Before she could tell him to get rid of it, Yato was hissing words Hiyori couldn’t understand, yet captivated the snake. The serpent looked at him and swayed, stilling in obedience to the command Yato had given.

“I’m a parselmouth,” Yato admitted, eyes still fixed on the creature. Hiyori’s eyes dared not leave the snake despite its stillness, but she managed to speak in a somewhat accusatory voice.

“So the rumour that you could be the Heir _is_ true!”

Yato snorted. “Someone made up that rumour, and I bet I know who it was,”

“But why not admit it? It looks suspicious if you keep it a secret.” Hiyori knew she had a point, but the slight shake of Yato’s head from the corner of her eye told her he had a reason for hiding this gift.

“It’s not exactly the kind of thing you wanna tell people when everyone thinks Slytherin’s are raging psychopaths that have released a Basilisk into the school.”

“And you don’t mind telling me?”

“You’re not gunna say anything,” Yato said nonchalantly.

Her eyes finally flicked to his side profile, giving him a quizzical look. “How do you know that?”

“Because you know I’m not the Heir,” the look Yato gave her was unquestioning, like he already knew that Hiyori would never think he would hurt anyone.

He was right.

“However that rumour got out, it’s just a rumour,” Yato said, “no one has to know it’s actually true.”

Hiyori looked between the serpent and Yato, trying to piece together his plan but coming up with no answer. “Then why are you doing this?”

“To help you,”

Hiyori didn’t have time to ask what he meant as Yato hissed again with a sharp intake of breath which the python responded to, scales grating against the stones towards them.

Hiyori took a faltering step backwards, hands raised and mouth opening to protest. Her eyes locked on the snake whose tongue flickered in interest, clearly tasting her fear. Yato stepped behind Hiyori, circling his arm around her to catch her hand and bringing them closer together---closer than necessary.

“What are you doing?!” Hiyori exclaimed, trying to pull her hand away and flushing at the feeling of his close presence, the warmth of his hand in her own, which trembled slightly.

“Trust me.” The whisper of Yato’s breath tickled the hair that fell over her reddened ears as he began speaking to the python coiled in front of them. Slowly, Yato guided their hands towards the snake, palms downwards as it uncoiled and slithered to them as if entranced by the parseltongue he muttered.

“ _Freaslis_.” He hissed softly, stooping their hands lower to the snake.

Yato felt her tense as it came closer, her free hand grabbing onto his sleeve for reassurance. Yato felt his cheeks burn slightly, a stupid smile spitting across his face at the motion. He heard her breath hitch as the scales of the reptile brushed against her palm, seemingly rubbing itself against her in interest.

Despite her racing heart and widened eyes, Hiyori smiled as its tongue flickered against her skin curiously. It moved closer, rising up and bumping its snout against the flat of Hiyori’s palm.

Yato’s grin widened and his eyes flicked from the snake to look at Hiyori’s presumably delighted expression, but her smile had slipped, cheeks pale with her eyes still fixated on the serpent. The python withdrew, slithering back to the ground in a coil of scales, now disinterested in the pair.

Hiyori’s grip loosened on Yato’s arm, legs shaking as they begun to fold beneath her, unable to hold her up any longer.

“Careful!” Yato exclaimed, using his free arm to catch her around the waist. Hiyori let out a shaky breath, her head swimming and allowing herself to sink back as Yato struggled to keep her upright.

“I-I don’t feel well…” she said in a quiet voice.

Yato raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Oh? So it’s true what they say about that spell.”

“What spell?”

“They say that this snake summoning spell is a house spell made by Salazar Slytherin. It increases a Slytherin’s power, but weakens a Gryffindor. Never thought it was true.”

“And you thought it was a good idea to use it around me?”

“Good point.”

The snake was now slithering across the room to the door, and all at once Yato realised he was still holding Hiyori’s hand and dropped it abruptly. Fumbling for the wand in his pocket, Yato pointed it at the serpent and chanted _‘Evanesco’_. The python vanished an instant before it could escape.

“It’ll wear off in a bit,” Yato said, his suavity faltering in a flush of awkwardness as he shoved the wand back into his robes. “Sit down and rest.”

He eased the her onto the floor, sitting beside her in silence with his arms loosely wrapped around his knees. “So, do you like snakes now?”

“I’m still not overly fond of them,” Hiyori said haughtily, “don’t ever do that again.”

Yato grinned at the floor. It was a bit mean, but making Hiyori face her fear and seeing her tension dispel once she knew it was safe told him that she felt better around snakes, even if she wouldn’t admit it.

They were quiet for a while, soaking in each other’s company when Yato’s conversation with Yukine the day of the Quidditch match crossed his mind . It wouldn’t hurt to find out how Hiyori felt about Yukine if he wouldn’t do it himself.

“So… you and Yukine,” he said listlessly.

Hiyori looked at him, eyebrows raised quizzically.  “Eh?”

“You like him?” Yato’s blunt question was enough to make her give him a stupefied look.  

 _Like?_ Hiyori thought, _Like, like-like? Why would he think that?_

“No! We’re just friends!” she said a bit too quickly. She didn’t see Yukine like that, but… did he?

Yato’s face gave nothing away, _mm_ -ing at her answer with a blank – almost disinterested – look as if he were only looking for gossip. It would be rough on Yukine – if he ever confessed.

Still, it was none of Yato’s business.

“I’ll walk you back,” he pushed himself up and Hiyori followed suit, stable enough to hold herself up now. The thought of their conversation lingered in the back of her mind.

“What about you? Hiyori reminded him of rule, though they had both broken it that day.

“Parseltongue,” Yato said confidently, pulling the door open and letting Hiyori walk through first, “as Yukine said, I can tell the Basilisk to _‘fuck off’_.”

**Author's Note:**

> Freaslis - 'Friend' in parseltongue 
> 
> Aaaaa I wrote that snake fear scene a long time ago, it's nice to be posting things I have ready in advance.


End file.
